He may enjoy eating healthy and adore relaxing walks surrounded by nature, but Sudan isn’t your typical Tinder-swipe.
In fact, the 43-year-old rhino has been described as “one of a kind”.
As part of fundraising efforts by conservationists to save the species, Sudan, the last male northern white rhino on earth, is ditching loneliness for love and joining Tinder.
They hope that through Sudan’s charm, he will help raise enough money for USD9 million fertility treatment – as all attempts to get him to mate with the only two surviving females have failed.
Time is running out, as Sudan – 100 years old in rhino years – is nearing the height of his life expectancy.
“It’s never been done in rhinos before,” Richard Vigne, head of Ol Pejeta Conservancy, stated in an interview with the BBC.
“This is a 10-year programme to recover that species.
“We’ll hopefully keep him alive as long as we can – but we are in a race against time if we are going to recover this species.”
Sudan’s Tinder profile reads: “I don’t mean to be too forward, but the fate of my species literally depends on me.
“I perform well under pressure… 6ft (183cm) tall and 5,000lb (2,268kg) if it matters.”
Users of the app now have an option to donate when they open Sudan’s profile.
Aside from the recent campaign, scientists are also testing how to use IVF techniques on the two remaining northern white rhino females.
If that is unsuccessful, then they will consider using Sudan’s sperm for IVF with southern white rhinos – although they are a distinct species. The cross-option is still better than full-extinction, they say.
The age of Sudan is the biggest concern, yet the threat of poaching is still there. The rhino currently has his own team of armed bodyguards who are protecting him in Kenya.
Poachers sell white rhino horns for around USD50,000 per kilo – making them more valuable than solid gold. With the demand for their horns being so high, the species has been hunted to near extinction.
Northern whites are the only rhinos that can survive in the wild in central Africa.
